tonight, breaking news as we come on the air in the west. the democratic national convention now under way. all of it amid this pandemic. the coronavirus now topping more than 170,000 deaths here in the u.s. and what we're seeing in schools. tonight, the major university suddenly reversing course. all of this as the dnc kicks off their effort to make the case for joe biden and kamala harris. the major changes because of the pandemic. and tonight, just in, the first look at michelle obama's message. what she'll say later tonight about joe biden. bernie sanders on deck tonight. and the republicans who will also take part. and the president tonight and what he's doing as this convention begins. also tonight, all of this with mounting concerns over the u.s. postal service. president trump now denying he's trying to slow down the u.s. postal service and mail-in voting. speaker nancy pelosi calling the

house back into session. the postmaster general, a trump donor, agreeing to testify before congress. and late today, the former department of homeland security official in the trump administration now endorsing joe biden, making stunning allegations against the president. tonight, as parents decide whether to send their children back to school, this evening, the major reversal at that university. what they saw at school in just one week. the university of north carolina at chapel hill. and the images tonight from across the country now raising concerns. and late today, what dr. deborah birx said. what she wishes the u.s. had done. the record heat and the fires tonight. red flag warnings in several states. firefighters battling wildfires in triple-digit temperatures. california residents facing rolling blackouts. the place where it hit 130 degrees. and the major disaster declaration now in iowa. and farmers among the hardest hit. we have teams covering both tonight.

and the 16-hour standoff. three officers shot and wounded. how this unfolded. good evening and it's great to start off another week together and we begin tonight with several headlines unfolding as we come on the air in the west. the democratic national convention is now under way. an unconventional convention in so many ways this time around, as the democrats make the case for joe biden. they do so amid this pandemic. this economic crisis. and tonight, there's also news coming in on the virus. dr. deborah birx a short time ago, what she wishes the u.s. had done. the new concern over schools. what authorities are seeing already. and the university with a major reversal after what they saw in just a matter of days. and news tonight about the u.s. postal service, as well. what president trump is now saying as americans in small towns and large ask, what is going on with the postal service? and just in tonight, former first lady michelle obama. the first look at some of what she'll say tonight about joe biden.

what he knows about loss. what he does for children who are suffering, children who stutter like he did, as a boy. we will also hear tonight from bernie sanders, making the push for joe biden and kamala harris, and from republicans who will take part, too. a well-known republican governor who ran for president himself now with biden. so, a big night ahead and with this country facing major challenges ahead, we're going to carefully get to it all. and we begin with mary bruce, leading us off tonight. >> reporter: democrats kicking off a convention like none other. the headliner tonight, michelle obama. >> i know joe. he is a profoundly decent man guided by faith. >> reporter: the dnc releasing part of michelle obama's prerecorded address. saying joe biden has what it takes. >> he will tell the truth and trust science. he will make smart plans and manage a good team. and he will govern as someone who's lived a life that the rest of us can recognize. >> reporter: four years ago, the party was bitterly divided.

now they're eager to show a united front. >> i think there is overwhelming understanding that donald trump must be defeated. biden must be elected. >> reporter: bernie sanders will speak tonight, but so will several prominent republicans, including former ohio governor john kasich. the goal? to show that biden can speak to all americans, not just democrats. the president is counterprogramming. though democrats are not in wisconsin as planned, trump is. >> they're making speeches that are taped. who wants to listen to michelle obama do a taped speech? no, you got to have her get up there. >> reporter: but democrats believe voters will connect with messages like this. >> joe knows what it's like to struggle, which is why he gives his personal phone number to kids overcoming a stutter of their own.

his life is a testament to getting back up and he is going to channel that same grit and passion to pick us all up. >> our first look at the former first lady tonight. let's get right to mary bruce, live in washington. and mary, joe biden, we know, will formally accept the democratic nomination on thursday, but we're going to hear from him tonight? >> reporter: david, we will get a glimpse of the candidate tonight in a prerecorded conversation with racial justice leaders. it's just one of the issues democrats are highlighting tonight, along with the pandemic and the economic downturn. three crises where democrats say the president is failing to lead. david? >> all right, mary bruce, we'll see you a little later tonight. i hope you'll join george, linsey and me and the entire political team here at abc for the democratic convention, beginning at 7:00 p.m. eastern on abc news live and then at 10:00 p.m. eastern, right here on the network. and we should also point out tonight, the first joint interview with the former vice president joe biden and senator kamala harris is now set. robin roberts and i will be conducting the first interviews with biden and harris together. the exclusive one-hour special, their first network interviews next sunday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern, right here. but the news continues this monday night, and as the convention gets under way, so many questions about the u.s. postal service.

tonight, the president is now denying he's trying to slow it down as the election nears. but it's not just mail-in voting, not just the election, it's prescription drugs, it's jobless benefits, it's what small towns and large depend on from the postal service every day in this country. the president says he's not slowing anything down, even as he rails against voting by mail. and he's defending moves by the new postmaster general, a major trump donor, who will now appear before congress next week. and tonight, house speaker nancy pelosi is now calling the house back in session. here's abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: today, donald trump insisted he is not trying to undermine the post office to help himself win the election. >> have you ever encouraged the postmaster general, a big donor to you, to slow the mail? >> no, not at all. wouldn't do that. >> reporter: the new postmaster general, a major donor to the president's campaign, has put in place cost-cutting measures that have already reportedly slowed down mail delivery. democrats call it a deliberate

effort to sabotage the expected surge in mail-in voting. speaker of the house nancy pelosi today called the house back into session to deal with the issue, saying, quote, "lives, livelihoods and the life of our american democracy are under threat from the president." it's not just ballots being affected. jim gaul says a reimbursement claim for his wife's medications usually takes six days but recently took weeks. >> we have to pay for her prescriptions and then file for reimbursement. $11,000, $12,000 is a lot of money to have outstanding on a credit card. >> reporter: the president has said he opposes a democratic proposal for $25 billion in additional funding to the postal service, but has acknowledged that without more money, they will not be able to deal with the surge of mail-in voting. though he votes by mail himself, the president claims, without evidence, that expanding mail-in voting will lead to massive vote fraud. >> with respect to universal

mail-in voting, it's just like a total catastrophe what's happening. >> reporter: but senate republican leader mitch mcconnell disagrees. >> i don't share the concerns -- the president's concerns. >> reporter: in the face of bipartisan criticism, the president now says he is open to additional funding for the postal service. >> we'll take care of the post office. >> reporter: as democrats accuse the president of abusing the post office for political gain, a former top trump administration official says the president repeatedly did the same thing with the department of homeland security. >> what we saw week in and week out, and for me, after two and a half years in that administration, was terrifying. >> reporter: miles taylor served as the chief of staff at dhs and says the president repeatedly exploited the department to serve his own political agenda, even trying to cut funding to deal with wildfires in california, because the state is run by democrats. >> he told us to stop giving money to people whose houses had

burned down from a wildfire, because he was so rageful that people in the state of california didn't support him and that politically, it wasn't a base for him. >> reporter: taylor, a life-long republican, says he is voting for joe biden. >> so, let's get right to jon karl, with us live as well tonight. and jon, you reported there on the former official at the department of homeland security making news today, but i do want to get back to the postal service. the democrats, you reported there, have called the postmaster general to testify before congress next week and tonight he says he'll be there? >> reporter: the postmaster general says he will be there and apparently the president is not happy about that. in a tweet just a short while ago, he asked why democrats have scheduled the hearing for next week during the republican virtual convention, saying, quote, "they are always playing games." the president tweeted, "get tough republicans." david? >> all right, jon karl, we'll see you for our coverage later tonight, as well. thanks, jon. and of course, all of this playing out amid this pandemic

and amid this debate over how and when to safely send children back to school. tonight, the number of confirmed cases in the u.s. now more than 5.4 million and the number of lives lost now more than 170,000 american lives. the major reversal tonight at the university of north carolina at chapel hill, just one week into classes, because of an outbreak there already. scenes like this at an offcampus party at north carolina state in raleigh. and the concern for younger students, as well. los angeles tonight launching a massive test and trace program for all of its students. and what dr. deborah birx said late today, what she wishes the u.s. had done, pointing to another country that was hit hard. here's abc's tom llamas. >> reporter: tonight, a stunning reversal at one of the country's top universities. unc chapel hill announcing after just one week of school, a covid outbreak is forcing them to cancel in-person classes. >> there's a lot of college students here who, you know, choose not to wear their mask and who choose to go to parties and i think we kind of knew that ahead of the game that that was

something that was going to happen. however, unc chose to reopen anyway. >> reporter: the apparent challenge facing some universities, when students return to campus, so do the parties. like this crowded offcampus gathering near north carolina state in raleigh. the university looking into the situation. and the administration at the university of north georgia warning students after scenes like this near campus. and now, an entire oklahoma state university sorority house in quarantine after nearly two dozen members tested positive. it's a wakeup call amid the debate about whether to reopen schools. abc news getting a first-hand look at how new york city plans to safely teach children in the pandemic. from these electrostatic sprayers to redesigned classrooms. when school starts for new york city public school students, they're going to notice two things that are very different from the moment they get into their classrooms. the first, less desks. just 11 in this one alone. and throughout the year, there's going to be at least two windows open. this is across the city and even

in the winter. it's one easy and natural way, they say, that can circulate fresh air. new york city is opening its schools despite protests from the teachers and principals union. at ps-532, principal kevin bowles says they'll be ready. what keeps you up at night? >> obviously, i take the safety of everybody in my community really seriously and in spite of my confidence in this plan, there is, of course, the reality that this is a scary and unknown virus. >> reporter: new york state has seen a covid-19 infection rate below 1% for the tenth straight day. but in california, they're still seeing an increasing rate of positivity and a rise in cases. public schools in los angeles going all remote for now and officials announcing a plan to regularly test all students and staff, as well as for family members of those who test positive or have symptoms. the program costing the second-largest school district in the country nearly $240 million.

>> if we can isolate even just a few cases and keep others from the harm the virus causes, it will be worth it. >> reporter: these efforts, as the nation's top public health experts warning now is the time to get the pandemic under control. dr. deborah birx saying she wishes the country locked down like italy did earlier in the pandemic. >> we've learned what americans were willing to do in combatting the virus. americans don't react well to that kind of prohibition. >> dr. birx and the news she made late today. i want to get to tom llamas. he's in new york tonight and other developing headlines on the virus. and i know, tom, there are new -- and these are early studies -- but they are looking at how long any immunity might last. and you got a headline on the race for a vaccine? >> reporter: that's right. first, david, on reinfection. scientists are encouraged by what they're seeing. scientists say, from the studies they're seeing, that there is lasting immunity. but the big question still is for how long. we don't know that just yet. now, on the issue of vaccines, today, the fda commissioner says

they want the most effective vaccine possible, but they will take at minimum a vaccine that is 50% effective? david? >> yeah, that's what they told our dr. ashton and amy coe back earlier today. tom, thank you. and now, to the stunning images coming in tonight, the fires, the rolling blackouts and the historic heat in this country. readings of 130 degrees in one place. and tonight, 56 million americans under excessive heat alerts, from montana to california. and take a look. the heat fueling wildfires. this new one north of san francisco tonight. near lake tahoe, the loyalton fire making its own weather, with thunderstorms, even a tornado. abc's will carr in the fire zone tonight. >> reporter: tonight, new wildfires in the west, including the hennessey fire, breaking out in napa county, north of san francisco. >> there have been lightning strikes in the area in just the past few minutes. >> reporter: east of san francisco, lightning also likely sparking the deer complex fire sunday. families there told to get out. >> it's a scary process, you know? did you bring enough stuff? did you get the important tough?

did you -- you know -- and then, of course, the pets. >> reporter: near lake tahoe, the loyalton fire jumping the highway saturday. this fire crew barely able to escape. that same fire spawning its own thunderstorms, powerful enough to cause an actual tornado to form in the flames. north of los angeles, the lake fire has burned more than 18,000 acres since wednesday. >> this one's especially challenges with the -- given the hot, dry conditions and the rugged, roadless areas we're dealing with. >> reporter: east of los angeles, authorities say the ranch fire was caused by an alleged arsonist. 36-year-old osmin palencia turning himself into police. the fires and storms across the state fueled by record-melting temperatures. >> 130-degree heat in death valley, california. >> reporter: california's governor announcing today plans for more rolling blackouts, after some neighborhoods had their power cut this weekend due to the heat. >> we failed to predict and plan the shortages and that's simply unacceptable. >> reporter: david, tonight, those flames are racing through

brush decades. it's more than 100 degrees out right now and we're expecting excessive heat warnings at least through thursday for this area. david? >> all right, we'll be tracking it for several days ahead. will, thank you. and we continue to follow the devastation in iowa. tonight, one week now after that derecho, a major disaster declaration now. thousands of homes are damaged or destroyed. and the terrible impact on iowa's farmers. more than a third of the state's crops are now gone. abc's alex perez tonight from iowa. >> reporter: tonight, iowa declared a disaster zone. residents reeling in their seventh day of misery. about 70,000 customers still without power. these senior living facility residents suffering in the dark and stifling summer heat. >> i was told by three different people in the police department, three weeks without electricity. >> reporter: last monday's powerful derecho leaving a trail of destruction. 100 mile per hour winds uprooting trees, toppling power lines and damaging more than 8,000 homes. four killed.

the state paralyzed. thousands left to go hungry. >> i lost all my food. i couldn't save it because i couldn't afford a generator. >> reporter: the storm's impact on iowa's farmers is especially brutal. an estimated 14 million acres wiped out. roughly 40% of corn and soybean crops destroyed. the governor saying total losses to the state are nearly $4 billion. >> it's terrible for everybody. it's just ridiculous. >> reporter: and david, some 90% of homes in cedar rapids were damaged in some way. president trump visits the storm zone tomorrow. david? >> all right, alex perez, thank you. and when we come back here, the 16-hour standoff. three officers shot and wounded. how this unfolded in a moment. ns when your child grows up. get in its way. hpv can affect males and females... and there's no way to predict who will or won't clear the virus. but you can help protect your child by taking a first step.

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for free help, call 1-800-quit now. tonight, history for the nfl. the washington football team hiring jason wright, the league's first black team president. wright, a former player and businessman. he says he wants to give the team a new identity. washington, of course, retiring its controversial name last month. when we come back tonight, the 9-year-old boy and what he said when asked what his three wishes would be. thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. patients taking ibrance

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finally tonight here, america strong. the boy and his wish. tonight, 9-year-old jordan from oklahoma and his wish. jordan has spent six years in foster care. and while being interviewed by a local tv station, asked what he'd want if granted three wishes? jordan simply answered, family. >> family. family. those are the only wishes i have. to have a family. to call mom and dad. or just mom. or just dad. >> jordan's words going viral. jordan's welfare specialist at the oklahoma department of human services telling us the response has been overwhelming.

>> we're not used to having this kind of a response, honestly. this has been huge. >> they have now had more than 10,000 families reaching out to become jordan's forever family. tonight, they are pouring through the applications. >> we want to make sure that we give this the best opportunity to be successful as possible for him. >> this evening, jordan one step closer to his wish. and of course we'll stay on jordan's story. that wish is going to come true. and we hope the same for so many children. we'll see you tonight on abc news live and at 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on the network for the democratic national convention. good night. thousands of acres charred and people forced from their

homes. we are live, covering this napa county wildfire that so far firefighters have zero containment on. >> i'm spencer christian with a look at high fire danger and an excessive heat warning. "abc7 news" at 6:00 starts now. >> now, from abc 7, live, breaking news. you are looking at the biggest fire burning in the bay area right now. likely sparked by lightning. it's now forced people in napa county to evacuate their homes while firefighters battle to get any containment. the extreme weather has led to power outages, unacceptable in the eyes of the governor. >> you can't control the weather but you can prepare for the weather events. let me make this crystal clear, we failed to predict and plan these shortshortages. >> good evening, thank you for joining us. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. >> this hour sparked an hour ago

and has burned 2500 acres. wayne freedman is on the ground live for us tonight. what can you tell us? >> reporter: dan, first thing i tell you, it has been a surprise. you talk about that number of acres, 2500 acres now. two hours ago, we were saying 200 acres, because it keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. we spent a lot of time earlier today. we're on highway 128, which is closed all the way to higha 121. let's show you some video from earlier today. one witness said he counted 20 lightning strikes. he said the big one sounded like an explosion and saw flames immediately. it's in steep terrain. it got off to that fast start. by 10:00 a.m., just four hours in, chp had begun evacuating residents. cal fire's report at 2500 acres, threatening 200 structures. we saw one of those structures earlier today in a